Politics

Top Republicans: No Hope for Immigration Reform

(NEWSER) – Immigration reform has no chance in the House, top Republicans privately tell Politico. GOP leaders, after many listening sessions, say that even the most popular parts of immigration reform will be difficult to get through; ultimately, they predict what Politico calls "a slow, months-long death." The site compares it to what happened with gun background checks: Conventional wisdom (that background checks were too popular to kill or, in this case, that killing immigration reform would be too risky in terms of alienating the Hispanic vote) simply proved wrong, because most House Republicans care more about catering to their mostly conservative white constituents.

Critical talks on immigration reform are taking place today, with House Republicans coming together to decide next steps, the Hill reports. On the Democrats' side, President Obama and Joe Biden are meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus today for a strategy session.

Not surprisingly, the White House is cheering the comprehensive immigration reform bill today, with a new report estimating the bill would increase GDP by 0.3 percentage points over two decades, encouraging job creation, job growth, and worker productivity. The report also says budget deficits would decrease.